Chapter 48 Chapter Forty-Eight — Boiling the River, Cooking the Sea

Leaving the Green-Robe Temple and not far gone, Li Daoxuan saw that farmer again.

He had not left, but set out some pears and made a far-off obeisance to the temple.

Li Daoxuan asked curiously, "Uncle, why place the offering here?"

This too puzzled him — Yuzhang's folk revered the Lady, yet the redwood table bore no offering.

The uncle glanced at Li Daoxuan and said, "It is the Green-Robe Temple's rule. In the Wude years the wars raged and none had enough to eat; some slipped into the temple to steal the Lady's offerings."

"Then the court's great ones were enraged and would punish them — but the Lady manifested, not only forgave them but distributed all the offerings, and decreed that henceforth, in offering incense, no offering need be laid, only a sincere heart."

The uncle looked at the Green-Robe Temple, his gaze sincere, and said, "The Lady pitied us; I, Xu Youfu, though but a pear-grower, know gratitude and repayment, and can only lay my offering here."

Li Daoxuan's eyes lit. "Uncle, where do you grow pears?"

"The south orchard, of course — Daoist, you are from out of town, else the townsfolk would all know that my Xu Youfu's pears are the biggest and sweetest!"

He paused; the pride in Xu Youfu's eyes faded into a thread of worry.

"But this year is uncertain; it has not rained for months, the land is dry — go on thus and this year's pears will all die!"

"Still, I prayed to the Lady today, and believe it will rain soon!"

Xu Youfu bowed to the Green-Robe Temple a few more times, then rose to leave.

Li Daoxuan followed him and smiled. "Brother Xu, may I go with you to the south orchard?"

Xu Youfu was surprised. "Daoist, you wish to buy pears? But they are not ripe yet."

"Not to buy pears — only to catch some bugs."

…

The south orchard.

Many fruits grew here — cherries, grapes, pears and the like — but for severe lack of water the earth was cracked, and the once-promising fruit now shriveled, hanging listlessly.

Xu Youfu's pear orchard was the same.

Li Daoxuan at last understood why the wineshop keeper had sold pomegranate wine so dear — it was the drought; water and pomegranates had both grown scarce.

Xu Youfu was a warm-hearted man; hearing Li Daoxuan wanted bugs, he dug them himself, and in half an hour caught dozens of plump white grubs, put them in a jar, and handed it to Li Daoxuan.

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He wiped sweat and smiled. "Pity the pears are not ripe, else I'd pick some to slake your thirst, Daoist."

Li Daoxuan took the jar and offered a tael of silver.

But Xu Youfu shook his head again and again. "Daoist, they are but worthless bugs that would only gnaw the pears — how could I take your coin?"

He firmly would not accept.

Moved by his simplicity and kindness, Li Daoxuan thought a moment, then looked at the parched orchard and smiled. "I shall not take your bugs for nothing; you refuse coin, so I shall gift you a rain instead."

A gift of rain?

Xu Youfu lifted his head, much puzzled — could rain be given to a man?

The next moment he saw the young Daoist give the gourd at his waist a light slap; the gourd grew with the wind and floated in the air, fully over two zhang tall!

After breaking into early Bigu Li Daoxuan's mana had surged, letting the Three-Realms Gourd grow to nearly ten meters.

He laughed clear and loud. "Water, come!"

Boom!

Columns of water sprayed from the gourd-mouth, like water-dragons rising to the sky, then falling from on high like sweet dew, like a torrential rain.

This was the pool-water Li Daoxuan had gathered at Longshou Mountain, now all poured out, turned to sweet rain nourishing the orchard.

Xu Youfu watched dumbfounded; only when the rain wetted his body did he start awake, wild with joy.

"Rain, rain!"

He ran barefoot through the earth, cheering; after a long while he calmed somewhat.

"Thanks, Dao—"

But he turned his head, and the young Daoist was already gone; the water-spouting gourd, too, had vanished without trace.

The rain had stopped as well — come swift, gone swift.

…

Li Daoxuan quietly left the orchard and came to a riverside.

This river joined the Ganjiang, one of the Yangtze's chief tributaries, so it was not yet wholly dried.

But it was far from the orchard, most inconvenient for drawing water to irrigate.

Li Daoxuan wondered whether he could draw this river's water with the Three-Realms Gourd, then make rain?

The water just now was a drop in the bucket; before long the orchard would still face drought.

As he hesitated, a voice sounded.

"Little Daoist, this old woman is very thirsty — can you fetch me a bowl of Ganjiang water?"

Li Daoxuan turned; it was a white-haired old woman in cloth, lips cracked, leaning on a willow, extending a broken bowl toward him.

Seeing her pitiful look, Li Daoxuan thought no more; he took the bowl and scooped a bowl of water at the river.

But the old woman shook her head. "That is downstream water, too dirty; this old body is frail — can you scoop a bowl of upstream water?"

Li Daoxuan said nothing; he looked at the silt in the water, then at the old woman, and wordlessly ran upstream to scoop a bowl.

This time the water was much clearer.

But the old woman still shook her head. "I have caught a wind-cold and cannot drink cold water — little Daoist, can you boil this bowl for me?"

Li Daoxuan glanced at her and thought the granny sure was demanding.

He meant to turn and leave, but seeing her cracked lips, trembling palms, and kindly eyes, he oddly recalled his long-dead grandmother.

Li Daoxuan sighed; very well — treat it as caring for an elder.

He piled stones into a simple stove, gathered twigs for fuel, and gave the Three-Realms Gourd a slap.

Boom!

A tongue of flame flew out and landed on the twigs, soon ablaze.

Li Daoxuan set the bowl on the stones and said to the old woman, "Old one, the water will boil soon; I have business and shall go first."

He resolved that if the old woman made any further request, he would ignore it utterly.

But what he had not expected was that the old woman smiled. "Your fire-trick is fun to watch; this old body has a trick too — would you like to see?"

A trick?

An ordinary person who saw him command flame not only unafraid, but calmly called it a trick?

Li Daoxuan at once realized this old woman was no ordinary person!

He worked his Dharma eye and fixed on her, yet found her utterly plain, with no anomaly.

"No need to tense; thanks to your fire — look, the water boils."

Li Daoxuan looked at the bowl; its surface began to bubble, a wisp of white mist rising.

Bubble, bubble!

The boiling sound grew louder; Li Daoxuan found it odd — how could it be so loud?

He turned his head and at last found the cause.

That once-calm river was bubbling, white vapor rising without cease.

The river water — had been boiled?